What is an appropriate amount of affection to give a dog? Here are a few guidelines:
When bringing a puppy into the home, give moderate affection while beginning to establish where they will stay (i.e., crate, kennel, confined area).
DO NOT carry them around thinking it is helping them to bond with you. They will bond more naturally when they are allowed to walk around like dogs do. =) You can create problems with separation if you give too much affection initially (or at any time really).
The first two weeks for a rescued dog are very important. I affectionately refer to them as “coma dogs” during that time when everything is perfect and we are amazed at how calm they are. Don’t mistake this as their full “potential.” Give affection for a reason as in with praise for good behavior. Let them adapt to their new environment slowly and remember that they are joining your family and not the other way around.
Don’t mistake not giving affection with having to speak firmly and ignoring them. Just give balanced affection and attention so that they realize the order of things and where they fit. Changing the rules on them after the newness wears off isn’t fair to either of you.
Those are a few of the basic guidelines to follow. There are definitely other variables, but that’s for another post! For now, enjoy how to hug a Great Dane.
So many dog food choices, so little time. Have you noticed that there are entire sections of dog food options. When did this happen? I do know, but it’s still amazing, isn’t it?
Should we feed kibble only, kibble mixed with raw, vegetarian, grilled, broiled, low-fat, high-fiber, or dehydrated rare seasonal meat? More and more, dogs are showing food and other allergies much like their human companions. I’m not so sure that “our” stress hasn’t filtered into their life contributing to their dis-ease.
I encountered a man recently who when asked if I could give his Golden Retriever a treat, recoiled quickly when I said the treat was lamb and rice. He responded with “he’s a Vegan.” A Vegan? That was a new one for me.
Dogs are carnivores. Their teeth, jaw, and digestion were designed for it. I don’t feed my dogs a raw diet, but have heard from those who do that any health issues their dog previously experienced disappeared. I can promise you that once it was authorized that lizards, bunnies, and birds are dinner, my dogs would give it a try.
I’d like to tell you about the best dog food. The Best dog food is the one that keeps your dog healthy and happy. My guess is that there are a lot of dogs who are fed strict diets that far exceed the nutritional value of their people.
Remember – healthy and happy for both you and your dog!
Dog Quote: To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
….Aldous Huxley
Puppies love to bite.
They do it naturally and may be something they must be taught not to do. For obvious reasons, this needs to be addressed while they are young. What could be considered an “accident” could still inflict a lot of pain and an unwanted behavior from your dog.
It may seem fun and funny to have a puppy biting but a full-grown dog can do a lot of damage, particularly to children if biting becomes a habit. Games like tug-of-war can encourage a mouthing behavior and should be avoided unless you know for certain that you will “win!”
Puppy teeth are extremely sharp. They lose those teeth only to gain the new-and-improved larger teeth! Dogs have immense strength in their jaws and even a playful nip can do permanent damage to a child. It can also lead to your child being fearful of dogs.
Generally, puppies are taught to control their biting from their mothers. In most cases, we get puppies as pets that have been taken from their mothers at a very young age and it is up to us to teach them. It helps to let your puppy socialize with other dogs as they will quickly learn from their elders, provided they have been taught well, that the desire to bite needs to be curbed to avoid retaliation and an ensuing fight.
If your pup starts to use your hand as a chew toy, you can try saying “ouch!” in a high-pitched voice. Don’t pull away but rather move your hand away slowly and give them an appropriate chew toy. Usually, when you respond quickly with a “hey, that hurt” sound, they will back off.
Children may need to be reminded as often as the puppy that allowing the dog to chew on our hands, arms, or feet is not good behavior. Stuffed Kong toys, Nylabones, and things like fabric and rope chew toys are a much better option.
Many times when I’m with a client I hear myself asking them to lower their expectations.This is especially true if they are dealing with the “oh-we-forgot-what-a-puppy-is-like” syndrome. It’s a fairly common syndrome in retirement communities.
However, there is a time to raise your expectations. Expectation is a dangerous word. Much like the word “potential” it can put a lot of pressure on the object of the word. When you know what you expect, so will they. If you have no expectations, they will gladly oblige.
When you train a puppy and it learns all of the nifty commands – sit, down, leave it, etc., don’t forget to use them when needed. As dogs mature, they will have hormonal shifts and temperment changes and you may feel the need to go back to basics. Raise your expectation.
Remind your dog of what it knows. Leash on or leash off, expect a response to your command and follow through. You will be so glad as the next hormonal shift happens or the next “they’ve never done this before” behavior shows up.
Your dog will match your expectations — hmmmm? I think people are like that too. =)
I live in a rural area where most people own several acres. They leave the dogs outside most of the time so they are not adequately socialized. They’re great at being watch dogs.
Last year there was a fire and people were scrambling to get their dogs out safely. You can imagine how easy it is to put a collar and leash on a dog that hasn’t been required to wear one in the past. Add to that the fear and panic of the family because of the approaching fire.
I have always said that “I’m a dog person.” There’s an air of dogs are better in that statement; or at least there was for me. Don’t get me wrong. I love all creatures, but when it comes to which one I chose to live with, dogs were first choice.
Until. . . I started hearing about all of the kittens being left at the shelter, if they were lucky enough to get that far. Cats, along with dogs, are victims of foreclosures. That along with the many kittens that are set free without being spayed or neutered – and so it goes as the population grows.
I decided to foster some kittens. No worries! I checked with the dogs and they were fine with the idea. Two little boy kitties were at the shelter. They were too young and too small to be “fixed” or adopted. “I’ll take them – temporarily.”
For those of you who have had good intentions about fostering, may be having a similar experience to me when the fosters never seem to leave.
I tell myself that if the “right” family comes along, I will let them go. It’s funny how that hasn’t happened yet. I think I’ve joined the ranks of foster victim.
As I mentioned previously, there are a lot of four-legged victims as a result of the many foreclosures. Along with older dogs, there are puppies and pregnant dogs being left behind. Forget that there isn’t enough food for all of them, the fact that they are not being socialized can affect them for the rest of their lives.
When dogs have not been socialized adequately, the result is that they will back away when someone reaches to pet them. As they tuck their tails, round their ears and perhaps squat, their body language would indicate that they have been abused. They have. It just isn’t the way we typically define abuse. They were never hit. They were never touched in any way.
Many studies have proven the need for touch for all creatures. Touch boosts our immune system, and the lack of it causes emotional and behavioral problems. It is important for puppies to recieve nurturing from their Moms and for this nurturing and bonding to continue through human touch.
Neglected dogs may also develop obsessive-compulsive behaviors. They may walk in circles, go through a “ritual” prior to eating, and may be protective of food if they had to fend for themselves previously. All of these can be dealt with as they learn to trust and establish new behaviors.
Once they are brought into a home and slowly socialized and begin to trust human touch, they will improve!
My last post featured Melody – a little Yorkie that was at the shelter. She was so reserved and afraid. By watching her, I can assume some of what her past was like. She has a few rituals for reasons known only to her.
She now sits on the floor by me waiting for a little affection. It’s a bit of a tease because she will pull away. Wanting affection and praise and so afraid of what might be attached to it. We have a promise that she will never be mistreated again. (There are a lot of animals – and humans – that need to hear that promise.)
Melody is an example of how trust can change your life!
This little Yorkie was given up to a local shelter. She’s not special because she’s a desirable mini-dog – she’s special because she was used only to breed. It’s not clear how many litters she’s had or how she was treated.
She is (was) terribly afraid of human touch; especially if you were to reach for her before she was ready to approach. It’s not likely that someone will adopt her with this behavior quirk. So, I brought her home.
Once home, I noticed that she sounded like her bark was filtered. She’s been debarked. Then, there’s her teeth. She soon trusted me enough to let me take a look in her mouth. I quickly saw that she only has four teeth in the front. No wonder her tiny tongue sticks out. There’s nothing to hold it back. This is a relatively young dog so it’s not an age issue. It’s an abuse and neglect issue.
I realized that this little girl doesn’t need me to feel sad or sorry for her. She needs love and dog rehabilitation. Within 12 hours of bringing her home, I was able to put a harness and leash on her. I could pick her up, walk her on the leash, clean her face, look in her mouth, and check her ears without her recoiling.
Never underestimate the power of the Spirit, be it Human or Canine. And, the two of us together can be an amazing combination!
She will be “fine.” It’s good that we can’t sit and talk about her past. We might get stuck. Dogs don’t stay stuck in their stuff unless we do. They live in the moment and deal with what that brings. I’m learning a lot from the shelter dogs.
I recommend it – if you can put your thoughts aside of how horrible it is, you might experience the love of a little girl like Melody.
Should large breed dogs be allowed to be free with very small breeds? I hear from other trainers and people who work with dogs that it’s not a good idea. Little dogs could get hurt unintentionally by playing with big dogs.
I am in agreement with that to a point. If you have a number of dogs together, you have a pack. If you are the pack leader, they will listen to you and there won’t be a problem.
However, if something triggers an excited response; i.e., they are all playing with the same toy, or focusing on a lizard, or someone approaching the property, there could be an accident or altercation due to the situation. As Cesar Millan says so well – you need to be the calm, assertive pack leader. Don’t just leave it up to them to work it out!
Use good judgment and don’t let your dogs get overly excited and then let them all outside together at a time when the little dog could get trampled. Let the big dogs out first and have the little one(s) wait. When they are calmed down from their initial excitement, then let everyone be together. Be with them.
The little guys can be instigators (a lot of times out of fear) and the big dogs get mixed signals. Since you are the REAL big dog, let them know what is acceptable behavior. Give praise and affection equally but acknowledge the next in command before the others.
Be a confident leader and whether you have a giant breed or a toy breed (or both), your dogs will respect you and the other members of the pack.
Dogs need to play and exercise! And, try though we might, we don’t play like another dog. In a family of one dog, they get all of the attention and the focus is on them. They may also get bored and do what they can to explore the other side of the fence.
However, having more than one dog and letting them play together as you observe, is better than most movies. There is a lot to learn just from watching them interact. If it is healthy play, and you are the one in charge, there will be an exchange of rolls – one dominant, one submissive and they will alternate this role .
They will show you the true meaning of the word dog-pile. There are three dogs playing in this photo.
The best is the “tuck-butt” where they turn into animated cartoon dogs running with their hips rounded as their back legs come up through the front to propel them across the yard. I call this doggie-bliss. I don’t know what they call it other than instinct and fun.
I guess I should say that THE best is when they come inside after their play time, exhausted and ready to relax.
During the summer months when it’s more difficult to get outside for walks, find the time to let your dogs or get some form of exercise even if it has to be inside. It’s important for their health and yours!
